Batman: Earth One Vol. 2

Although I liked Superman Earth One, and I like Geoff Johns, I struggled to get on board with Batman Earth One Volume 1. I thought it was an unnecessary retelling that did not diverge enough from canon in terms of plot to hold my interest, and at the same time, diverged too much from the characterization of Batman himself by trying to make him "real," but ultimately making him uninteresting and incompetent.Here, though, those weaknesses are softened in Volume 2, because it's not so much about Batman's origins and hitting well known points, and it's now free to explore whatever it wants to within Gotham. The main plot in this volume deals with Batman squaring off with a serial killer-esque version of the Riddler. There is a subplot with Killer Croc who (while not a character I'm often clamoring for) pays off with a larger role in the main story. I liked these aspects, and once again Gary Frank's art is solid.But there are still things that don't sit right when I read this again, like the "Two Face" storyline. Without getting into spoilers, there is just something that is too cute by half about how Johns handles this Two Face. Again, like in Volume 1, it gives the vibe of "Remember this!? Well hah, we're going to do it, but then change it slightly just to shock you!" But it's neither that shocking, nor that meaningful. Just a minor diversion built solely on reader expectation, and solely to subvert that expectation. So it ultimately left me with a feeling of, "Okay, you got me? But it was a practical joke I did not care much about? So...what now?"If this does continue on in a Volume 3, I hope they take advantage of the alternate universe and do something more with it in diverging from canon than slight tweaks for the sake of tweaks, otherwise, what's the point?

As I've come to expect from Geoff Johns, this story not only takes you for a fun, wild ride, but it explores who Batman is by changing many, man of the details of the Batman mythos while building on the core. This is a very different Batman from the one we all know and love, and all of the other characters are changed in major ways, also. That is what Earth 2 allows writers to do. But Batman's core principles and characteristics remain, and Johns is such a good writer, you're invested in the story. Highly recommended!

I like the story, here the Riddler is not depicted as some silly clown in a green costume but is a sadistic killer and a real threat to Batman's safety. My only complaint centers more on how Dent/Two-Face is depicted. The story leaves us to believe that Harvey Dent dies after an attack and that his sister actually takes on a criminal persona. This is so different from every other depiction of Harvey Dent that I was taken aback.Also, in this story Dent and Bruce Wayne are not friendly with one another at all and they are not working together when Batman is involved. The artwork is fantastic, very detailed and the overall story is very well told but not what I had expected.

Freed from the necessary mechanics of Volume 1, Geoff Johns and Gary Frank deliver their definitively not-quite-ready-for-Joker Batman. Thankfully, this Batman can take a punch without being crippled. Benefitting from Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Year One in Batman's monthly title, we haveThe Riddler emerging as a major villain who threatens to destabilize Gotham City right under Batman's nose. In Killer Croc, we have the level of physical threat which elevates Batman from being just another masked vigilante. Significantly, the inclusion of Harvey Dent's sister, Jessica, fills in unexplored details of Bruce Wayne's youth and provides a psychological architecture for what promises to be an even-more impressive tale in Batman: Earth One Volume Three, which is already in production! Much of Grand Guignol characteristics in the GOTHAM TV series can be traced back to the pages of Batman: Earth One Volume One, particularly in how The Penguin is used as a larger-than-life figure with political savvy and no mercy toward his enemies. With a genuinely disturbing Third Act to close it, Batman: Earth One Volume Two is stronger than was Volume One, and I have every reason to believe Geoff Johns and Gary Frank will deliver a fascinating Volume Three very, very soon!

Batman as a character has been written in countless ways and different forms that it can get tiresome and off putting. Somehow Geoff Johns took Batman and sculpted him into a character that is "real" in the sense of a man who actually dons a costume to fight crime without the training background and criminal knowledge to immediately be successful at what he does. Sure, this representation of Batman sounds ridiculous and scary to longtime fans like me, but the scarier thing is IT WORKS!This second volume is the continuation of Bruce's journey to be the hero that Gotham City needs and the cast of characters that help and support him on his lifelong mission. Pick up the first volume before reading this one for the casts backgrounds and beginnings for a better experience! An amazing addition to the Earth One series that I hope will continue!